Imphal, April 22 2009: Reacting to the statement of the Election Committee of MUSU for the year 2009-10, presidential candidate K Ranjita Devi has contended that the assertions of the election committee is nothing but desparate attempt to over up its own mistakes.

Issuing a statement on behalf of all those who could not file their nomination papers to contest in the election, Ranjita pointed that the main issue behind the controversy is not the time limit given in th election notification but making it mandatory for the candidates, their proposers and seconders to submit original certificate of class XII at the time of filing the nomination papers in defiance of the normal convention allowing submission of provisional certificates.

Pointing out that the normally it takes 4 to 5 years for the students to get their original certificate of class XII and it would be a definite problem for the students who have studied the class XII from educational institutions outside the State like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Shillong and Kohima to arrange the original certificates in time for filing the nomination papers, Ranjita questioned the motive behind issuing the election notification in the evening of April 15 and starting issuing of forms on April 16 and giving just two days (April 17 and 18) for arranging the original certificates.

Over and above this, April 16 was the day of election to the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency and so how would the election committee expects that those students who have gone to Jiribam or Tamenglong and other far flung areas to cast their votes and aspire to contest in the university election are expected to arrange the original certificates and file their nomination paper.

Moreover, the principals of many of the schools and colleges have also left in connection with their election duty starting from the morning of April 14 or 15 .

So it was a deliberate attempt on the part of the election committee to leave out any other candidates who are not in favour of the election committee from contesting in the election, Ranjita said.

As to the claim of the election committee that no formal application/letter have been received to request for extension of the date for filing the nomination inspite having brought the matter even to the knowledge of the VC, Registrar, Dean of Students, Ranjita questioned what does the election committee meant by that.

Asking whether violating the conventional norm of submitting provisional certificates of class XII at the time of filing nomination in any way comes under the election committee's definition of being formal just because it has power under the article VI of the MUSU constitution with regard to taking election related decision, Ranjita observed that the power conferred is just to take election related decisions and implement the same but not to violate the convention.

Setting record straight on the assertion of the election committee on the need for verifying the original certificates of the class X and XII of the candidates, Ranjita countered by asking who has given the power to the election committee to verify the documents of the students on whose basis the university authorities have admitted them.

Is there also any guaranteed that malpractices could be stopped by authenticating the documents only at election time, Ranjita said, the notification issued in the evening of April 18 with regard to three students candidates to expect from submitting the original certificate should be made available to the rest of the students as well.

The presidential candidate has also questioned the rationale behind appointment of a new RO hurriedly and on the sly without the approval and knowlege of the Dean of Students and demanded that the election scrunity conducted by the new RO should not be made applicable at all.

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